This past offseason, Myles Turner shockingly joined the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-year, $108.9 million contract after 10 years with the Indiana Pacers. But nearly two months into the regular season, Turner's exit is looking like a blessing in disguise for Indiana, and Bill Simmons of The Ringer seems to agree.
"The Turner thing is a huge, 'Thank god he didn't re-sign here for that money,' I think at this point if you're them. [Jay] Huff has the same stats," Simmons said.
Before Turner left in free agency, there was a lot of talk about what the Pacers would've been willing to offer to keep him around. They have avoided the luxury tax for two decades, and many assumed they wanted to keep that trend going (though reports after the fact hinted this was not the case). If that were the case, then there was almost no world where the Pacers were going to bring their long-time big man back.
It's still not fully clear what happened. Some (including Turner himself) say the Pacers made it clear they didn't want him back and may have lowballed him, whereas others (including Rick Carlisle) say he swerved them and didn't give them a chance to counteroffer before joining Milwaukee.
Regardless of what went down and how, it's looking like things have actually turned out well for the Pacers, who should be thrilled that they dodged this bullet.
The Pacers are not missing Myles Turner much
To help replace Turner, the Pacers acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason. Both big men are stretch bigs who can protect the rim, and the hope was that Huff could essentially replicate his value and impact.
This was a bold move considering that, before Indiana acquired him, Huff was a part of four teams in as many seasons and never had a consistent role at any point (though his season in Memphis was the closest as he averaged 11.7 minutes in 64 games). It wasn't clear how he could handle an expanded role, especially if it meant replacing Turner, who was a big part of Indiana's offense.
Early on, things didn't look good for Huff with the Pacers as he struggled greatly on both sides of the ball. However, he has greatly turned things around. Not only does he look like a real asset for the team, but he's proving that maybe he can replace the Texas native.
In his last 10 games, Huff is averaging 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3.4 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the field and 36.5% from deep in 24.9 minutes. Across that same span, Turner is averaging 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 43.3% from the field and 33.8% from deep.
And while Huff's value continues to go up as he becomes more comfortable on both sides of the ball, Turner's keeps dropping without Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court.
It's way too early to say the Pacers should be happy with how things played out. We still don't know if Huff can keep this up for a full season, and Turner is also still trying to get acclimated with his new team. But as it stands, the Pacers certainly aren't missing their old friend anymore.